The Office Kitchen

Keep it clean!

• Don't leave your dirty dishes in the sink. Wash them right away.
• If you spill something—on the counter, in the fridge, on the floor—wipe it up.
• As necessary, wipe down appliances (including microwaves) after you use them.
• Put away packages, boxes, condiments—anything you have used that is not finished.
• Refill a communal coffee maker or water pitcher if you pour the last cup.
• Don't leave milk or leftovers in the refrigerator until they start to smell.
• Avoid foods that smell while cooking, such as cabbage and fish.
• Label your food containers with your name and the date.
  
• Clean out your items once a week.

When you find you have a food thief...

There's nothing more frustrating than finding that the ham sandwich you brought for lunch has mysteriously disappeared from the office fridge. Then there's the pilfering of milk (a splash here, a splash there) by other coffee drinkers who think of it as "borrowing just a little." Personalizing your brown bag or milk carton by labeling it with your name and the date—thereby announcing to one and all that it is not communal—may deter a thief, but don't count on it.

It's almost impossible to catch a food thief unless your kitchen is equipped with a surveillance camera. Unless you see someone eating your sandwich and you can quietly say something to that person, your best option is to ask to bring the matter of food pilfering up at the next staff meeting.

For information on Emily Post Business Etiquette Programs contact Renee DeBell, Director of Sales, at renee@emilypost.com or 802-860-1814.